Long time, no blog

It’s been a long time since I blogged. I’ve thought about it numerous times but haven’t been able to get to the keyboard or just haven’t wanted to drop my knitting and come in here to the den and do it. SO, let’s do a quick recap of my life the last month.

I’ve been depressed. The unemployment has only 2 more weeks left before it runs out. I’ve been looking – seriously looking but have only managed to accumulate a collection of letters of application with a few replies of “thanks, but no thanks.” Many – make that most – places don’t even give you an acknowledgement. It costs money to process and postage so I can understand it. (Note to self: if ever in the position where I am hiring, do send out the acknowledgements.)

Donna’s chemo cap came out fine. It’s worsted weight cotton and she likes it. As she says it’s large enough to hide her stubble but not so large it flops over her eyes. I’ll try to do another one but will have to get the money together for yarn. Patterns are free on the internets.

Is it “internets” or “internet”? I’ve read both lately and don’t know which, if either is preferable.

I had an interview yesterday for a temp to perm in a town near Amherst. I’m not crazy with the idea of the commute in the winter unless I cross through Sunderland and pick up Interstate 91 North in South Deerfield. That will add about 14-16 miles on to the trip but it will be well maintained in the winter. Otherwise, I get my choice of a couple of wickedly steep and curvy hills on a 32-mile trip (approx). The winter hours are 9:30 to 5:30, which means coming home around 6:30 and diving right in to getting dinner ready. I cannot eat crock-pot or roasts every night and Marc doesn’t cook. In short, I’m not terribly crazy about the hours. But it would turn into a full time job with benefits. It’s not been offered me yet but I’m ambivalent about taking it if offered.

Office Team has also contacted me about a temp job in Westminster, a 23-mile trip all on major state road. The pay is a dollar/hour more than the temp to perm. I took the urine test today and completed the background screening authorization form. Yeah – for a temp job no less. The hours are shift hours – 0700 – 1530 running from Sunday through Thursday. I’d get up around 0500 to leave around 0600. It takes 15 minutes to get to Exit 16 and then another 20 minutes or so driving. The place is absolutely huge (it’s in an old Digital Equipment facility) and parking seems to go on for a couple of acres.

So, I can screw myself with a job that I’m not wild about or screw myself by going with the temp job that may or may not turn permanent. I’m so messed up.

A realtor contacted us about selling some property we hold in Western MA. I told him to send me the paperwork. We might end up netting about $3k. I sent in the paperwork to cash in my 401k two weeks ago. I was let go about 3 months before it was vested so won’t get a bunch – especially after taxes and penalties.

Last week we had Marc’s appointment with the nephrologist – and today he got a sonogram of the kidneys as well as yet more blood work. At some point within the next couple of months, he’s going to have to go see the cardiologist again and then the three docs are going to have to fight about what meds he should take. Nephrologist doesn’t like him on lasex, Marc’s BP was down in the low range on the Lisinopril so the gp took him off and is now up high again, the gp wants him on meds to control the gout – which the nephrologist doesn’t want him on necessarily either. Life will become a balancing act of expensive medications and I just don’t know how it will work out.

I finally knit up the Fleece Artist yarn Kerry gave me last autumn. I think I mentioned it in a prior post. I had divided it into two balls so I could knit both socks at once and the stuff really knit up funny – you’d never know it was the same skein once you get past the feet. One shank is like the feet – a variegated brown/gold with reddish tinges. The other is flashes of light goldish brown and red brown. I used a US size 2 Addi Turbo as a magic loop and knit comfortably 10 stitches to the inch. Normal gauge for this weight of yarn is 8 per inch I found when I saw I was going to run short on yarn for the shank length. If I go really loose I can get 9. I don’t think I knit tight; it doesn’t feel tight, it feels like a nice serviceable fabric, but at 10 stitches per inch it doesn’t go as far as it should and I had to use different yarn (from prior socks) to add the final 1-1/4” inch to the top of the sock so it would be long enough for Marc to like.

I started another pair of socks for me and am trying to be looser (9 stitches/inch). The alternative is to use a Size US3 but then the fabric is just too loose. These will be different socks as I found two onesies balls at Emily’s – one is light gray Blauband and the other is a Lorna’s Laces variegated where the green fades into the same shade of gray as the Blauband. Each skein was half-price; Lorna’s is usually about $9 and Blauband $6 so the pair will cost $7 plus my time. Too bad there’s not a size 2-1/2 (metric would be 2.75) needle.

There you have it – my life in a nutshell. If you want to give me any counsel on the job, please feel free. I shall continue to look and am even thinking about looking for 2 part time jobs.